Vast Wasteland or Good Stuff?

I was one of the first generations to watch television. TV exposes people to news, to information, to knowledge, to entertainment. How is it bad?  ~Tom Clancy


I know people who would rather admit to a social indiscretion such as getting drunk at a party or using bad language in front of their mother-in-law than that they watch television regularly.  Well, I don't mind admitting that I enjoy watching TV and even have favorite shows that I never willingly miss.  I am particularly drawn to crime solving shows and science fiction or fantasy shows.  Among my current favorites are:  NCIS; Bones; The Closer; White Collar; The Mentalist; Eureka; and Fringe.  In addition to these series, I also really enjoy House and Lie to Me.  All these shows are not only entertaining, but often have clever dialogue as well as thought provoking situations that my husband and I discuss after viewing.

I can only take the news in small doses as I feel that newscasters sensationalize events and give you sound bytes rather than substantive information.  However, one show that I tend to watch every week is GPS with Fareed Zakaria.  I don't always agree with his viewpoint or that of his guests, but always find his show intellectually stimulating.  It presents a wider world view of events than is found on many other so-called news analysis programs.  We also watch BBC America news for a slightly different take on the news than is found on the network channels.

Other television offerings we have tuned into are This Old House and Hometime.  When we were renovating our old house these shows gave us useful information about various aspects of our project.  When we had finished the renovation and were ready to sell our home we borrowed ideas for staging and selling from a variety of programs on the HGTV network.

PBS has always presented high quality programs that inform and educate.  Now that cable television is readily available to most viewers there is a proliferation of such programs.  We especially enjoy the shows on the FoodNetwork, the Travel Channel, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel.

I do not watch Reality TV shows such as Survivor, or Dancing with the Stars.  I checked them out a time or two and they just didn't appeal to me, but I am not a television snob.  I know many people who really enjoy watching this type of program and I see nothing wrong with that.  To each his own.

I read an interesting article on a blog  while doing a bit of research for this posting entitled, Is television still a wasteland?   The author, John Silveira, gives his assessment of the state of television today after a long time away from it. His numerous examples gave me even more food for thought.  I recommend reading his article, especially if you have a negative view of television.  He just might change your mind.

Whatever your own opinions about television watching, let me leave you with a statement from Jack Paar, the American radio and television comedian and talk show host, who took over The Tonight Show from Steve Allen.  Paar said, "I have never seen a bad television program, because I refuse to.  God gave me a mind, and a wrist that turns things off. "  Personal choice is still the best method of insuring quality in what we watch on television.